8/23/2016 2:21 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Cromartie's rep says the only reason he didn't pay the support is because he was fighting Pierre over custody. The rep claims she had ongoing legal issues, and says Cro felt Alonzo wasn't safe with her. Antonio Cromartie took his $3 million deal from the Coltsand immediately used it to settle a child support dispute with a baby mama ... and avoided a possible arrest in the process.

Cromartie was delinquent on child support payments to Rosemita Pierre -- the mother of Alonzo, his oldest child ... aka #1 of 13. According to docs, AC was ordered to pay her $4,000 per month, starting in January 2016 but failed to do so.

He was due in a Florida court last week to either pay up or explain why he couldn't -- but Cro was a no-show. Then the cavalry arrived in the form of the Colts one-year contract ... which he signed Monday.

We're told Cromartie made a payment Tuesday afternoon. It's unclear how much he forked over, but it was enough for the judge to withdraw a warrant that had been issued earlier in the day.

5/11/2015 8:52 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

Breaking News

It's a good thing Ahmad Bradshaw can afford Uber ... 'cause the NFL running back's driving privileges have been REVOKED after he was convicted in his weed possession case.

Bradshaw -- who played with the Indianapolis Colts last season -- was arrested for marijuana possession back in February after cops say they found a small amount of the green stuff in his car during a routine traffic stop in Ohio.

Now, officials say Bradshaw cut a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead no contest -- and in exchange he can't drive for 6 months and must pay around $351 in fines and other court costs.

Case closed ... although now it's up to the NFL to decide what punishment he'll face from the league.

1/21/2015 6:14 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Deflated balls or not ... the New England Patriots kicked Indy's ass this weekend -- and the amount of air in the pigskin had NOTHING to do with it ... so says ex-NFL QBRodney Peete.

Peete -- who played in the NFL for 16 years -- says the whole "Deflate-Gate" scandal is being blown way out of proportion ... because despite the pressure in the footballs, "you still gotta play the game."

Rodney also says slightly deflated balls don't give a QB an advantage -- "You still gotta make the throws."

The NFL is not commenting on the investigation into the Pats -- but multiple reports say the league found 11 of the 12 balls were under-inflated by 2 pounds-per-square inch.

3/23/2014 3:00 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Jim Irsay's DUI arrest could be the best thing that ever happened to the Colts owner ... so says ex-NFL star Donte Stallworth who tells TMZ Sports he has an opportunity to change his life BEFORE it's too late.

Donte knows what he's talking about ... 5 years ago, he killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes in a drunk driving accident in Florida and says he still lives with tremendous regret from the incident.

"Hopefully, [Jim] can look at the unfortunate decision I made, and learn from it," Stallworth says ... "He's lucky it wasn't more serious."

Donte says he's happy Jim has checked himself into treatment -- "It’s good he's going to get some help. The first step is admitting you need it."

"I've talked with people who lost family members to drunk driving. They come up to me randomly. It's a constant reminder of the decision I made" "

Donte recently tweeted about the lessons he's learning -- saying, "There’s nothing I can do to reverse that day, but hopefully you guys will think of me and make better decisions than I did that morning. You don’t want to live with these regrets I have from my irrevocable decision… Trust me."

Ultimately, Stallworth tells us his message can be summed up in a quote from Otto Von Bismark -- "Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others."